Element of brick material for realising prefab panels for the building industry

ABSTRACT

The present invention concerns an element ( 1 ) of brick material for realising prefab panel elements for the building industry. 
     The inventive element ( 1 ) of brick material is of rectangular form, with an underside ( 2 ), an upper side ( 3 ) and one or a plurality of through-passing openings or ducts ( 7, 7   1   , . . . 7   13 ) on the underside ( 2 ) as well as on the upper side ( 3 ) and in the central zone between the two sides ( 2  and  3 ). On the upper side ( 3 ) distancing members ( 13 ) can be inserted into suitable recesses ( 12 ), which consisting of a pin ( 21 ) and two mushroom-shaped heads permit combination of the inventive elements ( 1 ) in such a manner that an inter-space is formed, into which cement mortar as well as the reinforcing elements ( 16 ) can be inserted. In the central zone of the element ( 1 ) also insulating material can be inserted according to the requirements, or connecting line ducts. The inventive element presents on its straight longitudinal sides a protruding portion ( 4 ) and a recessed portion ( 5 ) the shapes of which are complementary in such a manner that an insertion arrangement ( 6 ) extending over the full length of the elements is formed. 
     The elements ( 1 ) of brick material permit realisation of at least 25 types of prefab panel elements, which in building constructions can be applied as single or double layer inner or outer walls with or without insulating material, as sandwich panels or as single layer or reinforced ceilings, where all these construction elements present advantageous mechanical and physical properties. Building costs, if the techniques feasible owing to the inventive elements ( 1 ) are applied, result substantially lower than if known systems or panel elements according to the state of the art are applied, and certainly are much lower than if traditional building construction methods are used.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns a special element of brick material for realising prefab panels, or panel elements respectively, of walls or ceilings for the building industry according to the introductory part of the claim 1. Elements of brick material are known from practical use and from the patent literature. In particular the EP-0921243 and the EP-1273729A2, representing the state of the art closest to the present invention, already show an element of brick material and its application, using which it was feasible already to obtain a whole series of advantages described in said documents in detail.

2. Discussion of Background Information

The method applied for producing elements of brick material is innovative compared to the elements according to the patent literature cited and represents the essential basis of the inventive technique for easier obtaining of all possible combinations of the elements used, such as single or double layer walls or ceilings of various dimensions and thickness. The element of brick material according to the state of the art presents a rectangular cross-section where the underside as well as the central zone and the upper side present at least one through-passing longitudinal opening or duct extending over the full length of the element. The two smaller outer sides of the element are provided on one side with a protrusion and on the other side with a recess, the shapes of which are complimentary, in such a manner that the form an insertion groove and tongue. Furthermore the underside is characterised by rectangular recesses for stiffening the element over its whole length whereas the upper side presents recesses extending longitudinally in form of the letter “C” open towards the top side. Experience has shown that this rectangular shape of the element, other than elements known from the state of the art, offers a whole series of advantages, which are to be explained in the present.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective of the present invention thus is understood as an innovative improvement of other elements known already according to the state of the art including the references mentioned above. In particular the inventive element eliminates the weak spots of the connection between similar elements, as in the hollow space between adjoining elements always cross-sections are formed by continuously reinforced cement mortar where the element is part of the load-bearing structure ensuring the cohesion of the support structure during the assembly phase. The rectangular element, object of the present invention, not only functions as a support element but also has two other functions, namely, first, to contain insulating material and, second, to form a hollow space for airing the wall or to form through-passing openings or bores for ducts or for an additional layer of insulating material. Owing to these connections between the rectangular elements of brick material a larger number of panel element types can be obtained, where these elements not only can be applied for buildings up to 6 stories high but also for business and industrial buildings.

It thus is the objective of the present invention to create an element of brick material permitting realisation of resistant and heavily reinforced panel elements, especially in earthquake regions, offering flexible adaptation possibilities permitting production of other additional products matching in structure.

Furthermore the inventive elements are less expensive as they require less cost-intensive equipment for manufacturing the elements already in the brick manufacturing plant, and as their technologically developed form also permits faster drying and facilitates packing for shipment. For the phase of assembly using cement mortar and reinforcing elements the rectangular element is laid out in such a manner that it can be handled without requiring special devices and without specialised personnel and, above all, without any cutting operations to be performed on the element itself. The rectangular element permits realisation of many technical solutions depending on the application intended. The interconnection between two identical rectangular elements during their assembly is effected the two upper sides of the elements being placed facing each other with the help of special distancing members, made from thermo-hardening synthetic material or from metal, placed into grooves provided in the upper sides of the elements. This method is based on studies and research on the system proposed here, which reevaluates application of known traditional materials and lowers cost owing to new modular prefab techniques, using which an entirely traditional end product is generated presenting better characteristics cost, quality, structural strength of the building structure. Studies of the characteristics and the behaviour of brick material made the layout of new forms of realisation feasible, all of which can be realised using one single type of component element, which owing to the industrialised processes can be easily applied.

Processing time of the individual working phases is optimised and does not depend on meteorologically caused inconveniences, especially during the winter season, and shipping and transport problems are eliminated.

The present invention thus permits building activities without limitations in component types and structural requirements.

These advantages are obtained using one single element type of brick material as described in the characterising part of the claim 1.

The claims 2 through 10 concern various preferred variants of the element 1 and the corresponding advantages thereof, described in the following.

The claims 12 through 15 concern the application of the element for producing 25 types of panels or panel elements, in particular of the basic types, owing to which the 25 types can be generated, namely:

-   -   Single panel for non load-bearing interior intermediate walls as         separation.     -   Single panel for inner or outer separating walls or ceilings,         with insertion of the corresponding quantities of concrete         mortar and of reinforcing elements.     -   Double panel for load-bearing inner or outer walls with or         without insulation.     -   Ceiling panel for load-bearing inner horizontal structures or         for inclined structures with reinforcing elements placed between         the elements.     -   Sandwich panels of various kinds, in which two inventive         rectangular elements are arranged at a distance from each other,         an isolating layer being inserted between two layers of cement         mortar,

Furthermore the following elements can be realised:

-   -   Roller shutter housings for shutters (roller shutters or         Venetian blinds with lamella).     -   Support elements for locking devices of all kinds.     -   Recesses for appliances and line ducts.     -   Load-bearing columns, pilasters, beams and lintels for doors and         windows.         Owing to the proposed system the following advantages can be         obtained:     -   Standardised manufacture of the rectangular element, which is         the object of the present invention.     -   Possibility of laying out various cross-sections inside the         elements, with numerous solutions for arranging the reinforcing         elements owing to special sleeves with distancing elements made         from synthetic material, permitting various types of connections         between the elements of brick material, these properties being         of particular importance for buildings in earthquake zones.     -   Possibility of arranging or inserting duct connections within         the cross-section resulting from connecting two rectangular         elements, or in the longitudinally extending recesses of the         element and the hollow spaces resulting from the assembly of the         elements of brick material, where sufficient cement mortar         cross-sections still remain.     -   Complete integration of the connections between panels using         reinforcing elements and cement mortar.     -   Realisation of entirely homogeneous support structures, only one         single type of base element being used.     -   Reduction of the working time required for producing prefab         panels in the production plant owing to the dimensions of the         base element.     -   Possibility of realising a heavily insulated product owing to         the possibility of inserting natural insulating materials by         blowing in or by inserting slabs of natural insulation material         of suitable thickness into the central openings extending         through the rectangular element or by inserting slabs of natural         insulating material amidst the cement mortar cross-sections of         the rectangular elements, which are the object of the present         invention.

The element of brick material according the present invention furthermore can be assembled without special devices other than the ones provided normally in any prefab manufacturing plant.

The inventive system is competitive compared to the costs incurred if traditional building methods are applied, as costs are lower and above all owing to the reduction in building time.

It is to be mentioned here merely that a complete base structure (shell of the building) of a residential building of about 1'000 m³ can be erected within just 5 workdays.

With the development of the inventive element also the basis was created for a method proper for layout projects with all the architectural and realisation details from the foundations to the roof including the finishing operations. All of this without limitations to specific styles or types of buildings as normally incurred with other prefab systems.

All structural components are interconnected in horizontal direction as well as in vertical direction. The structures laid out in this manner replace the traditional reinforced concrete constructions. In such arrangements the present invention visibly underlines the many possibilities of creating cross-sections with heavily reinforced concrete satisfying the severest structural standards known today.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in more detail in the following with reference to illustrated realisation examples. It is shown in the:

FIG. 1 An element of brick material in a front view with the cross-section of the recesses;

FIG. 2 The element in the same view as in the FIG. 1 the recesses being filled with insulating material;

FIG. 3 The element of brick material according to the FIG. 1, oriented longitudinally, shown in a side view;

FIG. 4 The connection of two lateral ends of the element of brick material with the arrangement of reinforcing elements during the manufacturing phase of the single panel;

FIG. 5 An element of brick material shown axonometrically;

FIG. 6 An axonometric view of three elements placed side by side, the distancing members of synthetic material being arranged in the recesses in the element 1, being the object of the present invention and suitable for producing single panels for walls and ceilings;

FIG. 7 An axonometric view of three elements placed side by side, the distancing members of synthetic material being arranged in the recesses in the element 1, with the reinforcing elements of metal.

FIG. 8 An axonometric view of three elements placed side by side, the distancing members of synthetic material being arranged in the recesses in the element 1, with the reinforcing elements of metal and concrete mortar;

FIG. 9 An axonometric view of six elements placed side by side, with the corresponding distancing members, suitable for producing a double wall;

FIG. 10 An axonometric view of six elements placed side by side, with the corresponding distancing members, suitable for producing a double wall with reinforcing elements and concrete mortar arranged between the panels;

FIG. 11 A horizontal section of inventive elements of brick material in a single layer panel for application as an intermediate wall, the underside not presenting openings for airing;

FIG. 12 A horizontal section of inventive elements of brick material in a single layer panel for application as a load-bearing wall element, the underside not presenting openings for airing;

FIG. 13 A horizontal section of inventive elements of brick material, the underside of which does not present openings for airing, which with the help of suitable distancing members of thermo-hardening plastic synthetic material are arranged opposite each other, with reinforcing elements and concrete mortar filled in between them;

FIG. 14 A horizontal section of inventive elements of brick material in a single layer panel to be used as an intermediate wall, the underside of the elements presenting openings for airing;

FIG. 15 A horizontal section of inventive elements of brick material in a single layer panel to be used as a load-bearing wall element, the underside of the elements presenting openings for airing;

FIG. 16 A horizontal section of inventive elements of brick material the underside of which present openings for airing, the elements being arranged opposite each other with the help of suitable distancing members made from thermo-hardening synthetic material, with reinforcing elements arranged in the space between the elements filled with concrete mortar;

FIG. 17 A horizontal section of inventive elements of brick material the underside of which present openings for airing, with another inventive element of brick material not provided with airing openings on its underside, which are arranged opposite each other with the help of distancing members of thermo-hardening synthetic material, with reinforcing elements arranged between them and filled with cement mortar;

FIG. 18 An inventive element 1 with aired underside, suitable for producing a panel to be used in a ceiling, where the elements of brick material alternate with reinforcing elements of metal and cement mortar;

FIG. 19 Two elements of brick material, which are mutually connected with the help of distancing members of thermo-hardening synthetic material, the underside of which are not provided with airing openings, suitable for producing a panel element feasible for application as a ceiling, where the elements alternate with reinforcing elements and cement mortar cross-sections, which are of a height apt to take up heavier loads.

FIG. 20 A horizontal section of two walls consisting of interconnected elements of brick material with airing openings, which are mutually connected under an angle of 90° using a special angle element;

FIG. 21 A horizontal section of two walls consisting of interconnected elements of brick material with airing openings, which are mutually interconnected using a right angle connection;

FIG. 22 A horizontal section of two walls consisting of interconnected or individual elements of brick material with airing openings and which are mutually interconnected using a right angle connection;

FIGS. 23, 24, 25 The element of brick material without airing openings, to be used for producing shutter housings (roller shutter or lamella Venetian blind type);

FIG. 26 A vertical section of a wall consisting of n elements of brick material with aired underside, which are integrated with cement mortar and which comprises a support for supporting another element for ceilings, a wall without openings being formed;

FIG. 27 A vertical section of a wall consisting of n elements of brick material with aired underside, which are integrated with cement mortar and which comprises a support for supporting another element for ceilings, a wall comprising a door frame being formed;

FIG. 28 A vertical section of a wall consisting of n elements of brick material with aired underside, which are integrated with cement mortar and which comprises a support for supporting another element for ceilings, a wall comprising a window frame being formed;

FIG. 29 A horizontal section of a panel element formed by one element of brick material with aired underside, and by a second element of brick material without airing openings on its underside, with insulating material and cement mortar inserted between them, suitable for producing a type of sandwich panels;

FIG. 30 A horizontal section of a panel element formed by two elements of brick material without airing openings on their undersides, with insulating material and cement mortar inserted between them, suitable for producing a type of sandwich panels;

FIG. 31 A horizontal section of a panel element formed using an element with non-aired underside, with insulating material and cement mortar in-between suitable for producing a type of sandwich panels;

FIGS. 32, 33 and 34 An overall view and a longitudinal section of the distancing member of thermo-hardening synthetic material of cylindrical form with several part zones;

FIGS. 35, 36, 37 and 38 An overall view and a longitudinal section and a cross-section each of the upper and the lower part of the sleeve, made also from thermo-hardening synthetic material;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In the FIG. 1 it can be seen that the cross-section of the element of brick material 1 is of rectangular form, with the upper side 3 and an underside 2. The upper side 3 is formed by five recesses or grooves 12, 12 ¹, 12 ², 12 ³ and 12 ⁴ extending over the full length of the element, alternating with four through-passing openings or ducts 7, 7 ¹, 7 ² and 7 ³. The undersides 2 also are formed with five recesses 7 ⁹, 7 ¹⁰, 7 ¹¹, 7 ¹², 7 ¹³ extending throughout the element but which are closed. Between the upper side 3 and the underside 2 five through-passing openings or bores 7 ⁴, 7 ⁵, 7 ⁶, 7 ⁷, 7 ⁸ are provided extending over the full length of the element, and which can take up the insulating material or line ducts or inserts, as illustrated in the FIG. 2. In the FIG. 1 the narrow side 4 presents a protruding portion, whereas the other narrow side 5 presents a recess zone, the shapes of these zones being laid out complementary in such a manner that an insertion arrangement 6 is formed where two elements 1 are joined (compare the FIGS. 4 and 6). The recesses or grooves in the upper side 3 are of a depth of about half the width of the recesses in such a manner that reinforcing irons 9, 10, 11 can be taken up, which by filling in cement mortar 22 (FIG. 8) are integrated and thus improve the load bearing capacity of the elements. Furthermore the cement mortar 22 penetrating into the recesses 12 improves cohesion between the elements 1 and prevents detachment.

The elements 1 are of the following dimensions:

-   -   Length of the element 1 ranging from 50 cm to 150 cm,     -   Width of the element 1 ranging from 40 to 60 cm, preferentially         50 cm,     -   Height of the element 1 ranging from 10 to 15 cm.

Using elements of these dimensions more than 15 types of panel elements of different layout, insulation and load bearing thickness can be produced.

A further preferred characteristic of the inventive element 1 is seen in that owing to the inter-space between the upper side 3 of the element and the same side 3 of the element 1 arranged opposite, zones with variable shapes of the reinforced concrete can be provided, the thickness of which can range from a minimum of 10 cm to a maximum of 30 cm, which furthermore may contain various types of reinforcing elements 18, 19 or technological components as actual implants. The element 1, object of the present invention, offers two different possibilities of reinforcing the panel elements.

A first layout of the reinforcing elements (FIG. 7) can consist of commercially available reinforcing irons, which according to the structural requirements for each case can be arranged by the calculating civil engineer, or of special metal profiles inserted between the elements, not only for the height of the elements but also between these and the building in its total height, or with the help of normal reinforcing cages.

A further preferred property of the inventive element 1 is seen in that the height of the through-passing ducts or openings 7 ⁹, 7 ¹⁰, 7 ¹¹, 7 ¹², 7 ¹³ of the underside 2 in its height corresponds to about ⅓ of the height of the central through-passing openings 7 ⁴, 7 ⁵, 7 ⁶, 7 ⁷, 7 ⁸. In the following various applications of the inventive element of brick material are described corresponding to the application of the main types of panel elements formed using the element 1, with reference to the example of three base types in a building.

For realising a whole series of assemblies of elements of brick material it can be required that two identical inventive elements 1 of brick material are to be interconnected in such a manner that they are facing each other, namely e.g. that the upper sides are arranged opposite each other (back to back). In the inter-space that remains free, reinforcing metal elements can be inserted, such as e.g. reinforcing steel rods 9, 9′, etc., which, if required, can be mutually connected with reinforcing cages 10, and the inter-space can be filled e.g. with cement mortar in such a manner that a highly resistant sandwich structure is obtained. This arrangement is illustrated in the FIGS. 9, 10, 13, 16, 17 and 19. For rigid mutual fixation of the two elements 1 arranged opposite each other before filling the inter-space with cement mortar suitable distancing members 13 have been developed, formed as pins 21 (Compare the FIGS. 32 and 33) provided with mushroom-shaped heads on either side (Compare the FIGS. 35, 36, 37 and 38). The length of the pin 21 is chosen in correspondence with the width desired of the inter-space between the two elements 1 of brick material to remain free. This length thus can be set between a few cm and 20 cm. The distancing members 13, made preferentially from thermo-hardening synthetic material, with their mushroom-shaped heads then are inserted into the longitudinally extending recesses 12, . . . 12 ⁴ in the upper sides 3 of the elements 1 and are distributed along the recesses in an arrangement required for the manufacturing process. This is illustrated e.g. in the FIG. 13, which shows a section of a structural element composed of two elements 1 of brick material, which are mutually connected using distancing members 13 where in the inter-space formed reinforcing elements 9, 10 as well as the concrete filling can be seen. From this and other Figures it is easily seen that a great variety of single layer slab construction elements (in the FIGS. 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 31 for example), or double layer (in e.g. the FIGS. 13, 16, 19, 20, 22, 29, 30), can be realised, where the base elements 1 of brick material according to the present invention, as shown in the FIGS. 1 and 2 with their components, are assembled in suitable manner.

The main advantage of the present invention is seen in this very broad applicability of the inventive element 1 of brick material, the present invention also permitting realisation of angled connections as shown in the FIGS. 20 through 28. 

1. Element of brick material for producing prefab panel elements for the building industry, characterised in that the cross-section of the element (1) is of rectangular form with an underside (2) and an upper side (3), and with one side presenting a protruding zone (4) and the other side presenting a recessed zone (5) arranged in such a manner that over the full length of the elements an insertion arrangement is obtained, and that the element is provided with at least one through-passing opening or bore (7, 7 ¹, 7 ², 7 ³, . . . 7 ¹³) extending over the full length of the element (1).
 2. Element of brick material according to the claim 1, characterised in that the upper side (3) is provided with four to six recesses (12) extending over the full length of the element and in their cross-section present the shape of a “C” open towards the op side.
 3. Element of brick material according to the claim 1, characterised in that the underside (2) is provided with four to six through-passing openings or bores (7 ⁹, . . . 7 ¹³) extending longitudinally for isolating the wall by forming an air chamber.
 4. Element of brick material according to the claim 1, characterised in that between the underside (2) and the upper side (3) through-passing openings or bores (7 ⁴, . . . 7 ⁸) extending longitudinally are provided, which can be filled with insulating material (18) or with cement mortar.
 5. Element of brick material according to claim 3, characterised in that the height of the longitudinally oriented through-passing openings (7 ⁹, . . . 7 ¹³) forming the air chamber is about one third of the height of the longitudinally extending through-passing openings (7 ⁴, . . . 7 ⁸), which can be filled with insulating material or with cement mortar.
 6. Element of brick material according to the claim 1, characterised in that the length (l) of the element (1) ranges between 50 cm and 150 cm, the width (m) of the element (1) ranges between 40 cm and 60 cm, the height (H) of the element (1) ranges between 10 cm and 15 cm.
 7. Element of brick material according to the claim 1, characterised in that the longitudinally extending through-passing openings (7 ⁴, . . . 7 ⁸) can be filled with ecological insulating material (18) for improving the thermal insulation value of the element (1).
 8. Element of brick material according to the claim 1, characterised in that two elements (1) are arranged opposite each other and mutually fixed against each other using distancing members (13 ¹, 13 ², 13 ³, . . . 13 ^(n)), which are dimensioned in such a manner that in the inter-space between the two elements (1) further reinforcing members (16) find room, which can be immersed with cement (17) mortar for increasing the load bearing capacity of the element (1).
 9. Element of brick material according to the claim 1, characterised in that into the longitudinally oriented recesses (12, 12 ¹, 12 ², 12 ³, 12 ⁴) in the upper side (3) the mushroom-shaped heads of the distancing members (13, 13 ¹, 13 ², 12 ³, . . . 13 ^(n)) are inserted, the length of which can be suitably chosen for realising various thicknesses of the reinforced cement mortar from 10 cm to 30 cm.
 10. Element of brick material according to claim 1, characterised in that the distancing members (13, 13 ¹, 13 ², 12 ³, . . . 13 ^(n)) are made from thermo-hardening synthetic material.
 11. Application of the element of brick material according to claim 1, characterised in that the elements are combined for realising box structures of various dimensions for housing Venetian blinds (lamellas), roller blinds, lintels or columns.
 12. Application of the element of brick material according to claim 1, characterised in that the elements (1) are combined in such a manner that different types of panel elements are realised, with one layer, with two layers, sandwich panels, and with insulation material (18) and (19) arranged in-between, ensuring that no thermal weak spots are present in the construction, which would negatively influence the thermal insulation values required by the corresponding standards.
 13. Application of the element of brick material according to the claim 1, characterised in that the elements (1) are combined in such a manner that that absolutely homogeneous structural elements for walls and ceilings can be realised, all using merely one inventive type of element (1).
 14. Application of the element of brick material according to the claim 1, characterised in that all structures realised by combining the various types of panel elements present high resistance against earth quake loads owing to the reinforcing elements inserted (9, 9 ¹, . . . 9 ^(n)), (10, 10 ¹, . . . 10 ^(n)), (11, 11 ¹, . . . 11 ^(n)), which ensures the interconnection between vertical wall elements and horizontal ceiling elements. 